65th CoNGEESs, 1 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. | ^^^^^7y 
3d Session. j I No. 932 . 



LAFAYETTE NATIONAL PARK, 



January 15, 1919. — ('ommitted to the ( ommittee of the Whole Hou.-^e on the state 
of the Union and ordered to be printed. 



Mr. Tillman, from the Committee on the Piibhc Lands, subrnitted 
the following 

REPORT. 

[To accompany S. 4957.] 

The Committee on the Public Lands, to which was referred the bill 
(8. 49.57) to establish the Lafayette National Park in the State of 
Maine, having had the same under consideration, begs leave to report 
it back to the House without amendment, with the unanimous 
recommendation that the bill do pass. ''^ 

The Sieur de Monts National Monument, which it is proposed in 
the accompanying bill to make a national park under the name of 
the Lafayette National Park, owes its origin to the gift of citizens 
desirous of securing to the public for its use and enjojmient forever 
a unic{uely beautiful tract of land upon our eastern seacoast, where 
its grand rock scenery culminates in a deeply divided range of granite 
mountains visible from 50 miles to sea and an historic landmark. 

Discovered by Champlaiii in 1604, the island which these moun- 
tains dominate and largely constitute, was the first land named 
and touched on by him in his exploration of our coast, and for more 
than a century remained the property of Frame as a portion of her 
ancient Provmce of Acadia. 

The site, in 1613, of the earhest French missionary settlement 
upon the continent and granted in 1688 by Louis XIV, King of 
Prance, to Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, the founder of Detroit 
and early governor of Louisiana, it passed on the English conciuest 
of Acadia mto the possession of Massachusetts, b}^ whom it was 
given — in reward for service rendered — to her last colonial governor, 
Sir Francis Bernard, who visited it in 1762 and kept a journal of 
his trip there, which is still extant." 

The National Monument, named after the founder of Acadia the 
Sieur de Monts, occupied when lirst established the eastern and 
loftier portion of the island range, with from .5,000 to 6,000 acres, 
of land in a continuous tract. Furtb.er shifts have since extended 



2 



LAFAYETTE NATIONAL PARK. 






it over the western mountains and ])roiight it down to meet the sea . 
nearly douhhng its area, now in the neighborhood of 10,000 acres. 

Descending, directly to the ocean front and extraordinarily bold 
in character, the mountains of the monument are unique in the 
broad ocean views they offer and in the supreme beauty of the 
mingled land and water scenery which they look down upon. Gorges, 
deeper in places than the ocean level, divide them, forming, together 
\vith ice-excavated basins to their north, a series of fresh-water lakes 
and one magnificent ocean fiord, the sole one on our coast outside 
Alaska. 

This tract, with its extraordinarily varied physical configuration 
and ocean-tempered climate, is rich in native flora, offering a con- 
genial habitat to plants of many species ; it contains the best examples 
of the native forest left along our northern shore; it is rich in bird 
life, lying directly m the course of the Atlantic coast migration route 
to the great summer breeding regions of the nortli: and it was 
formerly a favorite haunt of deer and moose and beaver, who need 
protection only to become again abundant in it. Trout thrive there 
plentifully in the lakes and streams, and it is alone among our na- 
tional park lands in the admirable opportunities it oft'ers for deep- 
sea fishing. While faced by the open ocean on its southern front, 
moreover island-sheltered waters surround it on all other sides and 
link it unbrokenly with Penobscot Bay, some 40 miles away, offering 
a unique opportunity for life upon the water. 

The island is divided from the mainland only by a narrow arm of 
sea, crossed by a modern steel and concrete bridge, which links its 
roads with those of the State and Federal system on the mainland. 
It lies but a day and a half's motor ride along the coast from Boston, 
and but a day from Portland. During the season following the 
monument's establishment, 7,000 motors entered it, by record, coming 
from many States; and not less than 50,000 people visited it during 
that and the following summer each, coming by motor, train, and boat. 
In point of numbers and of the wide range of States from which these 
visitors are drawn, it ranks among the first half dozen nation park 
areas of the country, as it does in the refreshment and inspiration 
that it gives to those who come, thanks to the ocean that surrounds 
it and its own scenic character. The crowning point of beauty on 
our eastern sliore and the only extensive tract upon it that will be 
freely open to the public in a few years' time, it will be always widely 
visited, drawing its visitors from an area possessing two-thirds of 
tlu! population of the United States and giving them alone among 
our national parks or monuments the cool refreshment of the ocean 
on a <;()ast accessible to multitudes, supremely beautiful in its own 
scenic field, and rich in old historical associations. 

'I'Ik^sc old associations lend themselves, moreover, to a noble em- 
ployment of the mountains, looking so broadly out across the sea, 
I'/ roirnneriior-atc, as the Secretary of the Interior has planned, the 
j^iirl idike lliut, France has had in the early settlement of America 
utid (lie wiiming ol our national independence, and that which we 
ours^eivcH Inivc taken recently in rescuing France from an impending 
di«iiHl(T tliiil wonld have carried down with her in ruin the democracy 
and freedom of (he world. 

'ri»« eel,! I i(. IIS hotween America and France have been close from 
I Im? \>\'.]j[\\\\\\\v:^. Her idealism profoundly influenced in its construc- 

0, fit. J. 

MAh. .51 1919 



LAFAYETTE NATIONAL PARK. 3 

tive period the form of our democracy: without our de.mocracy, 
hers might have heen long delayed, or might not have endured. 
In this relation, as in the aid she rendered us in our time of early 
need, one name stands out preeminently, that of Lafayette, wliich 
has become not so much historical in a pcisoiud sense as a symbol 
of the tie between tlie nations. 

It is with this in mind, and for the puijjose of conmiemorating 
in a splendid nature monument, discover ed and once held by France, 
the generous devotion of our soldiers in the present war, that the 
Secretary of the Interior now recommends the estaldishment, under 
that name, of the Lafayette National Park. 

The following is an extract from a lette/ of tlie Hon. Franklin 
K. Lane, Secretary of the Interior, to the Hon. Swagar Sherley. 
March. 1918, with refevence to the Sieur de Monts National Monu- 
ment, the subject of the present bill: 

It i.< a true park area in the highest sen^^e, totally dilTereul from any other that 
we have and capable of giving untold refreshment to the great town and city popula- 
tions of our country to the eastward of the Mississippi. It is the only national park — 
using the word in its descriptive sense — that fronts upon the sea, and it repiesents 
at its culminating point one of the oldest and most important recreation areas upon 
•the continent — the New p]ngland coast. 

It is a tract of extraordinary variety and interest, a bold mountain chain com- 
pressed ^^^thin the limits of an island 15 miles across— though 70 or 80 in its ocean 
frontage. A dozen or more separate j)eaks, deeply divided by lakes and gorges and 
an ocean inlet, make u]) tliis chain. The most beautiful woods remaining on that 
coast — once famous for its timber — lie around the mountain bases. 

The lands constituting the monument have been for over fiO years the object of 
resort from all the great eastern cities, from southern ones extending to New Orleans. 
and central ones to h't. Louis. Now, over 50.000 people visit the monument each 
summer, making it third among the national park areas in the number of its visitors. 
Placed as it is in relation to the great eastern population centers, and equally accessible 
by boat and motor as by train, this number may readily be doubled within a few 
years' time by right development. 

The creation of this monument was not the result of (;hance, but of carefully thought 
out intention. No better way of extending into the crowded eastern regions of the 
country the immediate benefits of oiu- national park system could have been devised 
than tiiat presented by it. 

The following is an extract from a letter of the Hon. Theodore 
Koosevelt to the Hon. Swagar Sherley, A])ril, 1918, with reference 
to the Sieur de Monts National Monument: 

It is our one eastern national park and gives for the first time to the crowded eastern 
portion of the country the opportunity to share directly and immediately in the benehts 
of our national parksystem. Its striking ocean frontage makes it unlike every other 
])ark, 

I have watched with keen interest the work that has led to the creation of this 
park. Under right development it \\iM give a healthy jjlayground to multitudes 
of hard-working men and women who need such a playground. Moreover, it con- 
stitutes a wild life sanctuary under national guardianship at a spot where such a 
sanctuary is greatly needed. 

The following is an extract from a letter of the Hon. Carl E. MiUi- 
ken, Governor of Maine, to the Hon. Swager Sherley, April. 1918, 
with reference to the Sieur de Monts Nation.al Monument : 

The State of Maine is warmly interested in the de^•elopment of the national i)ark 
upon its coast entitled the Sieur de Monts National Monument. 

This park which has been the gift of citizens to the National Go^-ernmeut. occupies 
the most lieautiful tract of land on the Atlantic coast and has exceptional historic 
interest. Readily accessible from every eastern section of the country, unicjue in 
landscape character and bordering on the sea. the resort to it and its value to the pub- 
lic as a recreative area coidd i-eadily l)e doiibled in a few years" time by right 
development. * * •- 



4 LAFAYETTE NATIONAL PAEK. 

This is the one easteni representative of the national park system, and stands 
ah'eady third among the national park areas of the country- in the number of its 
visitors. 

The following is an extract from a statement on national park 
policy addressed by the Hon. Franklin K. Lane, Secretary of the 
Interior, to the Hon. Stephen T. Mather, director. National Park 
Service, May 18, 191 S, in which specific reference is made to the ter- 
ritory of the proposed La Fayette National Park upon Mount Desert 
Island as an example of what should ])e sought in the formation of 
new national parks : 

In studying new park projects, you should seek to find scenery of supreme and 
distinctive (quality or some natural feature so extraordinary or unique as to be of 
national interest and importance. - You should seek distinguished examples of typical 
forms of world architecture such, for instance, as the Grand <'anyon, as exemplifying 
the highest accomplishment of stream erosion, and the high, rugged portion of Jlount 
Desert Island as exemplifying the oldest rock forms in America and the luxuriance 
of deciduous forests. * * * ■ 

It is not necessary that a national park should have a large area. The element of 
size is of no importance as long as the park is susceptible of effective administration 
and control. 

Letter of the Hon. Franklin K. Lane, Secretary of the Interior, to the 
Hon. Scott Ferris, chairman Committee on the Public Lands, House* 
of Representatives, on H. R. 11935, ''A bill to establish the Mount 
Desert National Park in the State of Maine.'' 

The Secret.\ry ok the Interior, 

Washinfiion, May In. 19 is. 

My Dkar ilR. Kr.RKis: 1 have your reque.-^t of May G. 1918. for a report on H. K. 
nn.35,. ''A bill to establish the Mount Desert National Park in the State of Maine."' 

\Vhile this measure proposes to create a new member of the national park system. 
its effect, if enacted into law, would be to merely change the name of the Sieur de 
Monts National Monument and promote this area to the national park status, at the 
.-ame time adequately providing for its extension and development along well-delined 
lines. As this monument is already under the jurisdiction of this department, and 
immediately under the control of the National Park Service, by virtue of the act of 
August 25. 191G, the NationalPark Service act (39 Stat., 535 K the only important 
question invoh'ed in this legislation is whether the monument lands are worth>- of 
advancement to the national park class. I believe that the national park should be 
established for the following reasons: 

First: Mount Desert Island has important historic value. It is the place where 
* 'hamplain first landed bn this coast, and the French had a station here years before 
the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers. 

Second: Scenically its impressive headlands give Mount Desert the distinction of 
combining sea and mountain. These headlands are by far the loftiest of our Atlantic 
coast. Their high, rounded summits, often craggy, and their splendid granite shelves 
form a background for a rugged shore line and an island-dotted harbor which is one 
of the finest that even the Maine coast can present. Back of the shore is a mountain 
and lake wilderness which is typical in a remarkable degree of the range of Appalachian 
scenery. ^ 

Third : From the point of \dew of conservation the value of the proposed park can 
hardly be overestimated. The forests are largely primeval. Oaks, beeches, birches, 
maples, ashes, poplars, and man;,' other deciduous trees of our eastern ranges, here 
found in full luxuriance, mingle with groves of pine and giant hemlock. The typical 
shrubs of northeastern .Vmerica are in equal abundance. Wild flowers abound. 
There are few spots, if any, which can combine the variety and luxuriance of the 
eastern forests in such small compass. 

The rocks also have their distinction. This was the first part of the continent to 
emerge from the prehistoric sea. Archcan granites in original exposure such as these, 
though common in eastern Canada, are rare in the United States. Worn by the ice 
sheets of the glacial period, eroded by the frosts and rains of the ages, tlitdr bases carved 
by the sea, their surfaces painted by the mosses and lichens of to-day, they are exhibits 
of scientific interest as v,-ell as beantv. 



LAFAYETTE NATIONAL PAEK. 5 

StiM another distinction is Mount Desert's wealth of bird life. All of the conditions 
for a bird sanctuary in the East seem to be here fulfilled. Once Mount Desert was the 
home of many deer, some of which are now returning from the mainland. Moose 
haiunt it still occasionally. Once its streams abounded in beaver, and will again after 
a ^iew of these animals are planted in its protected valleys. 

Fourth: From a recreational standpoint, the Mount Desert Park would be capable 
of giving pleasure in the summer months to hundreds of thousands of people living 
east of the Mississippi River. Last year it was visited by more than 50,000 individuals. 
The island is accessible by automobile, railroad, and boat, and is only a relatively 
few hours distant from many large eastern cities. Developed as a national park in 
the interests of all the people, this reservation will become one of the greatest of our 
public assets. 

The Sieiu' de Monts National Monument was established by proclamation of the 
President, July 8, 1916, under the act of June 8, 1906, "An act for the preservation of 
American antiquities." (34 Stat., 225). A copy of this pi-oclamation is inclosed. 

The area of the monument is approximately 5,000 acres. All of this land was secured 
by purchase, or through donation, by the Hancock County trustees of public reserva- 
tions, was conveyed by this corporation to the United States and accepted by me under 
the authority of the monuments act. Since the establishment of the reservation, addi- 
tional tracts of land to the extent of 5,000 acres have been secured and tendered to the 
Government. 1 have indicated that I -svill accept these lands as soon as the deeds and 
other instruments of title have been examined and found satisfactory in all respects. 
The reservation, therefore, may be regarded as ha\ing a total area of approximately 
10,000 acres. Ultimately this Tvdll be extended to 20,000 acres through the continued 
efforts of the public-spirited gentlemen who are devoting theii- time and personal funds 
to the development of this park enterprise. 

I haA-e no criticism to make of the form of the pending bill, and I hope that the com- 
mittee may give it early and favorable consideration. 
Cordially, yours, 

Franklin K, Lane, Secretary. 

Hon. Scott Ferris, 

Chairman Committee on the Public Lands, 

House of Representatives. 

Attached is a copy of the report of the Secretary of the Interior 
to the Senate Committee on Public Lands on this measure. It is 

as follows: 

Department of the Interior, 

Washington, October 2, 1918. 
My Dear Si^nator: I have your reciuest of September 26 for report upon Senate 
bill 4957, the purpose of whicfi is to establish the Lafayette National Park in the 
State of Maine. This bill is in all respects except that of name, identical with a 
bill which has heretofore passed the Senate, during the present session, and I attach 
a copv of mv report upon that bill. 

The name" of Lafavette is substituted for that of Mount Desert, the name proposed 
by the former l)ill, and I consider it singularly appropriate that the name of Lafayette 
should be commf^morated liv these splendid mountains facing on the sea on what 
was once a corner of old France, and with it the early friendship of the two nations 
which are so closely allied in the present war. Already, this land, as a portion of 
old French Acadia," is associated with some of the most famous names of France: 
Henry of Navarre, De Monts, Champlain, Cadillac, and others. 

Lafayette's name is dear to the American people, and it will be a gracious act toward 
France to commemorate his name by giving it to this new national park. 
Cordiallv, vours, 

Franklin K. Lane. 

Hon. Henry L. My'ers, 

Chairman Committee on Public Lands, 

United States Senate. 

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